Haiti officials say PM Lapin has resigned, new PM selected

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Haitian Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin resigned on Monday, according to a high-ranking government official who asked not to be named, presenting a shakeup at the highest levels of government in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation.

Hours after Lapin’s resignation, the Haitian government announced that Fritz William Michel, who previously worked in the finance ministry, had been selected to succeed Lapin as prime minister.

Michel’s nomination must now be approved by legislators in Haiti.

Lapin’s tenure as prime minister was brief. He took the reins after Jean Henry Ceant was ousted as prime minister in March.

Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste first reported on Monday that Lapin had offered his resignation to President Jovenel Moïse.

“I have made a choice for Haiti,” Lapin said in an interview with the newspaper.